Are Boy Dogs and Girl Dogs Really That Different?

August 8

When N and I announced that we were getting a boy puppy, opinions flew. Mostly out of the mouths of my family members, so, you know, that was fun. My family has always had girl dogs so they were not too pleased when we decided on a boy instead of a girl. I think many families only get one gender of dog and that’s just what they do.

I’m not sure why we decided to get a boy dog. I kind of wanted a little Momma’s boy (which I got) and N was pretty easy to convince. I think more than anything, we thought the gender would kind of be irrelevant (and it has been).

Things people told me about dogs genders that are probably not true:

Girl dogs are easier to train

Boy dogs are more aggressive

Girl dogs are more aggressive

Boy dogs will hump everything

Girl dogs are more affectionate

Boy dogs are more affectionate

Dogs are more affectionate to people of the opposite gender

Girl dogs are better with children

Boy dogs are more likely to pee in the house (mark their territory) and are harder to housetrain

Girl dogs are calmer

I’ve met dogs of almost every breed (and mixes) who defy all the things on this list. My brother’s boy pitbull is a not aggressive and is super cuddly. My parents girl golden retriever has shown aggression (on rare occasion). And Archie has been humped by many, many girl dogs (he’s really good-looking and also super confused about what’s happening so he lets it go on for way too long, while his parents laugh).

And here’s my completely amateur opinion: The gender doesn’t really matter. I really think it has more to do with personality of the individual dog. Some breeds are well-known for certain personality traits, so if you know a breed’s personality is what you want, go with that. This seems especially true with golden retrievers.

See? Really really good-looking.

I have heard that some of these myths are more true of certain breeds of dogs than others. I’ve also read that a lot of these myths are only true for dogs who aren’t spayed or neutered. I can’t speak to this but perhaps it’s true.

For the record, Archie was easy to train, has never shown an ounce of aggression, has never humped anything, is ridiculously affectionate, loves kids, and never pees in the house. I wouldn’t call him calm but I also wouldn’t say he’s hyper. Archie has not been any different from any girl dog I’ve ever had. He is the Winnie-the-Pooh of dogs. Sure, he’s technically a boy, but does it really matter? Do you even really notice or care?

So I’m glad we got a boy dog. I can’t imagine having a little Clementine (a name N would never agree to but I love anyway) instead of our Archie. Still, I don’t think a girl dog would have been even a little bit different.

How did you decide on a boy or girl dog? Does your family only get one or the other?

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Hi, I’m Nadine. I'll try not to be a mommy blogger but that's probably where this is headed. Oh, and I'm definitely going to try to convince you that Philadelphia is the coolest. I love my husband, kid, and dog (but who doesn't?). Let's be friends.